The HCC Peer Mentorship Program Olivia Melendez

Campus Compact AmeriCorps member serving at Housatonic Community College

Bridgeport, CT
The HCC Peer Mentorship Program is a peer-to-peer mentorship model, matching first-
year mentees with second-year mentors in an effort to increase campus connectedness,
increase retention, and encourage degree completion.

Program Summary: Objectives & Goals

One of HCC’s greatest concerns is its low graduation rate of 9%.
In 2019, Black and Hispanic students comprised 69.1% of the total student body, with 51.9% of total students coming from the city of Bridgeport. In fall of 2018, HCC reported a 59.0% retention rate. In the same year,
Bridgeport experienced a 21.4% poverty rate, and a median household income of $45,441 (DataUSA). 40% of the people in Bridgeport, CT are Hispanic and 32.9% are Black or African American (DataUSA).
The HCC Peer Mentorship Program was established to increase student retention, encourage degree completion, foster a sense of community and closeness between peers, faculty, and staff, and facilitate a successful
transition to the college environment, with particular attention paid to the retention of students who identify as low-income and first generation.

Program Background & History

The HCC Peer Mentorship Program operated in the planning and research stage during the 2019-2020 AmeriCorps VISTA service term. During this
time, VISTA member Madeline Kinchen established community partnerships with The Greater Bridgeport Mentorship Collaborative and the Governor’s
Prevention Partnership, in addition to researching mentorship best practices, comparable programs at other community colleges in the US, and the
needs of the HCC student community. In August 2020, AmeriCorps VISTA 2020-2021 member Olivia Melendez brought the program to its initiation
stage, which included establishing and finalizing program infrastructure, and recruitment.
One of the most influential contributions from VISTA member Madeline Kinchen was a survey that collected over hundreds of student responses. The
data revealed that, despite HCC’s establishment as a community college in the city of Bridgeport, a city known for its closeness and support among
its residents, a sense of community and support was lacking among our HCC students.

Program Design & VISTA Capacity Building

Recruitment & Onboarding (November 2020 - February 2021)
During this phase, the VISTA made applications accessible to students. The VISTA partnered with Communications and Marketing to advertise the program to prospective applicants, connected with appropriate faculty
and student groups (Freshman seminar instructors, Student Services, Student Senate, etc.) to recruit both mentor and mentee candidates. The VISTA reviewed applications, held interviews, and accepted/declined
candidates on a rolling basis during this period. The VISTA facilitated both mentor and mentee training sessions as well as an all-program orientation event.
Initiation (February – April 2021)
Students participated in the program for the duration of one academic year, during which time mentors facilitated weekly hour-long one-on-one meetings with their mentee. During these meetings, mentors assisted their
mentee in setting and accomplishing academic, personal, and/or professional goals.
Mentors and mentees participated in a total of three mandatory all-program workshops facilitated by the VISTA member throughout the semester. Workshops were approximately two hours, and covered topics of
interest. Previous topics included academic integrity and plagiarism, resume writing, creating a LinkedIn, virtual interviewing, time management, and study habits. The VISTA collaborated with other internal departments
to facilitate portions of the workshops, such as Career Services or Financial Aid. Workshops were recorded for student and host site use, as well as sustainability efforts.
Program Closure (May – August 2021)
During this period, the VISTA reviewed all data collected from the cohort including but not limited to attendance forms, surveys, and other sources of both qualitative and quantitative data. The VISTA conducted mentor
and mentee exit interviews, and made program changes based on her findings.

Program Outcomes & Data

14 total participants; 7 matches
70 hours of self-reported one-on-one mentorship (45 minutes per pair per week average)
49 hours of total volunteer training & orientation
45 hours of total volunteer event & workshop participation
7.5 total hours of student community volunteer work
57.1% of students self-reported as Black or African American, 42.9% self-reported as Hispanic or Latino
86% of students self-identified as a first-generation college student
57% of students reported receiving Federal financial aid
A mentoring pair with the goal of improving study habits and time management reported positive outcomes, reflected in both the mentor and mentee significantly improving their grades.
A mentoring pair with a focus on personal goals for the mentee reported high levels of stress surrounding the mentee securing a part-time job. The mentor secured their mentee a job interview within the same week of this reported problem, and the
mentee was offered and accepted the job.
All mentors and mentees reported increased feelings of self-esteem and/or peer connectedness in their exit interviews with the program managers.
3 students are graduating this semester and moving toward another college/university or the workforce; 11 students are registered and/or expected to return for the Fall 2021 semester
26.6% of mentoring pairs set and completed a personal goal, 20% a professional goal, 32% an academic goal, and 28% set and completed another type of goal.

Program Challenges & Sustainability

Recruitment was a challenge for the first cohort. We planned to close applications and have participants fully onboarded by the start of the Spring 2021 semester; however, this proved to be a challenge due to students’ uncertainty regarding COVID-19,
the inability to market the program in-person and facilitate on-campus outreach, and students’ competing priorities. It was decided to accept applications on a rolling basis, with the last applicant being onboarded February 20th. Due to COVID-19, the
program shifted to 100% virtual operations.
The Spring 2021 cohort reported no participation issues within their one-on-one meetings, however, there was typically only 50% participation in monthly group events. This was resolved by making recordings of the workshops available for students with
conflicts to watch later. This was a unique challenge that arose out of adapting the program to be fully virtual. If the program were to shift to be in-person soon, having face-to-face interactions with students on campus and holding more interactive
events on-campus may alleviate this issue.
HCC should anticipate hiring a part-time or full-time mentorship program manager to sustain and grow the peer-to-peer program, as well as maintain a consistent on-ground presence on campus.
The program shifted to virtual operations at the start of the project, whichmeant students met vitually for mentorship. Should HCC move this program to be offered on-ground next semester, the program manager should anticipate creating a safety plan
and guidelines for in-person meetings. Additionally, workshops will have to be adapted to an in-person audience.

"The relationship was very beneficial for my One-on-One Mentorship

mentee and for me as well; I learned form this
experience, it gave me more understanding,
more insight, it increased my ability to Hispanic or
comprehend how to guide, and go along with Latino Trainings
someone with compassion, trust and friendly;
45%
Black or African

especially with my future career as Human American

55%
Services professional."
Events & Workshops
A 2021 Mentor
Participant Demographics 0 25 50 75
Participant Hours of Service